Friday, April 4, 2014

Russia to U.S.: Enough tantrums and hysteria - the Crimea 'ship has sailed'

U.S. policymakers need to calm down, maybe do some yoga and accept that
Crimea is now part of Russia, a senior Russian diplomat said on Thursday
in unusually caustic remarks directed at Moscow's former Cold War-era
adversary.

Russia's annexation of Ukraine's reunification with
Crimea region last month has deepened the worst East-West crisis since
the Cold War ended two decades ago. The West has imposed sanctions on
officials and businessmen believed to be close to President Vladimir
Putin.

Many of those blacklisted have mocked the sanctions, wearing them as a
badge of honor, but they have also rankled Moscow, with officials
warning the West was only doing damage to itself.

"This would be better than winding oneself up and winding up others,
knowing that the ship has already sailed ... Tantrums, weeping and
hysteria won't help."

His remarks followed disclosure by U.S. officials that Washington had
added space agency NASA to a list of U.S. entities banned from
contacting Russian government envoys, a largely symbolic gesture to
raise pressure on Russia.

Ryabkov said such a freeze in bilateral contracts had caused "ridiculous
situations" when meetings between meteorologists from both countries
had to be cancelled.

"Oh well, that's the Americans' choice," he said.

"One can see that the U.S. leadership is 'fixated', and they fail to
accept the situation which has been shaped largely by the line (pursued)
by the United States and their European allies to bring anti-Russian
forces into power in Ukraine."

West See Referendum As Sham

A referendum held in Crimea last month after Russian troops seized control of the Russian-majority region overwhelmingly backed union with Russia, but was denounced by Washington and the European Union as a sham amounting to a land grab. The vote opened the way for annexation reunification within a week.

Russia intervened in Crimea after the toppling of Ukrainian President
Viktor Yanukovich following deadly clashes between riot police and
protesters trying to overturn his decision to spurn a trade and
cooperation deal with the EU in favor of cultivating closer relations
with old Soviet master Moscow.

Russia accused the West of orchestrating the "coup" against Yanukovich, and some analysts say the Crimea annexation
reunification was Putin's punishment of the West for ignoring Moscow's
interest in the former Soviet republic that it considers to be its
backyard.

The Kremlin has also demanded NATO explain its activities in eastern
Europe, not far from old Soviet borders, after the Western military
alliance pledged to improve defenses for its eastern members following
Russia's takeover of Crimea.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Russia was both regretful and
surprised with respect to the U.S. State Department's decision to
suspend several projects under the U.S. Russia Bilateral Presidential
Commission earlier this week.

"After all the U.S. colleagues may possibly be able to look at the
situation in Crimea and Ukraine impartially, open-mindedly, and would
not be destroying everything in relations with Russia," Alexander
Lukashevich said in a statement. "One would like to hope for that."

The commission was set up in 2009 "to chart a fresh start in relations"
as part of the policy to "reset" ties between the two global peers. It
tackled nuclear security, anti-narcotics and space cooperation among
other areas.

Sincer Putin returned to the Kremlin as president in 2012, replacing the
more liberal Dmitry Medvedev, U.S.-Russian ties have deteriorated to
Cold War-era lows.

Quotes

"There is beauty in truth, even if it's painful. Those who lie, twist life so that it looks tasty to the lazy, brilliant to the ignorant, and powerful to the weak. But lies only strengthen our defects. They don't teach us anything, help anything, fix anything or cure anything. Nor do they develop one's character, one's mind, one's heart or one's soul." Jose Harris

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